I'm back and I've missed you guys! Thank you for your continued reading and reviews. I'm going to post another chapter in a couple of minutes, and then at least one more chapter tomorrow. I've been really busy, so I haven't had a lot of time to do any sort of writing this week.

On another note, I'm up to 93 reviews. If we can hit 100 by next week, I might try to add an extra chapter, or something. Just a thought!

This chapter has a little to a lot of Hermione/Ron fluff depending on the way you look at it. Either way, I thought it was kind of cute!

Keep reading and keep reviewing!

Chapter 29

"Now that we've gotten that over with" Ron said, lightly rubbing Hermione's back just above her waist, "let's go have some fun! Hogsmede!"

"What are you talking about, Ron? It's Friday!" Hermione asked.

"Do I for once know something the lovely Hermione Jean Granger doesn't? It's Saturday!"

Hermione mentally went through each day of her week in her mind.

"It can't be Saturday!" she declared to him. "Monday we did antidotes in potions, Tuesday was Herbology and Charms, Wednesday was transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts, Thursday I got detention for being late, Friday I…"

"Did detention" Ron finished for her. "Which means that today is Saturday."

"Ugh- I hate it when you're right" Hermione muttered. "You act all smug."

"Jealousy isn't a becoming characteristic, Miss Granger" Ron teased.

"Neither is smugness, Mister Weasley!"

"Are you two coming down to breakfast, or should I just leave you to your forthcoming snog fest?" Ginny asked moodily. "Because I need to know if I should leave now, so as to still have a stomach for breakfast."

"Lovely as always" Ron whispered to Hermione. "She always was like this in the mornings. Especially when her clock would happen to go off at six on the weekends. I have no clue why, though."

"I really wonder about you sometimes" Hermione said with a laugh. "I'm starving. We'll be down in a minute, Ginny."

"I'm hungry too" Ron said, his ears perking up like a dog's at the mention of food.

"Well, then, can we go?" Ginny grumpily asked. "I told Harry I'd meet him downstairs at eight thirty- it's already five minutes after that. He's nervous enough about his cousin today. So let's go!"

"We're going! We're going!" Ron held up his hands, one of which was entwined with Hermione's, in the air as a signal of surrender.

"I was just about to see if you were coming" Harry said as they joined him five minutes later."

"Sorry, love. Someone" Ginny shot a nasty look at Ron "wouldn't stop arguing with his girlfriend." She slid in next to Harry. "What time are you going to get your cousin?"

"I told him to be ready at nine thirty. I'm going to leave in a half an hour-ish – I want to see how my aunt's doing."

"You sure about this mate?" Ron asked as he filled his plate.

"Too late to turn back now" Harry replied.

"It's going to be fine" Hermione assured him. Then she groaned, just audible to her three friends. "It's him" she whispered. "He won't stop staring at me."

"Ignore it" Ron advised.

"I'm trying, Ronald. But it's kind of hard to ignore his creepy black eyes boring a hole through me!"

"Switch me spots" Harry said, standing. "You'll be out of his line of sight."

They did so, but a minute later, she felt the eyes on her again.

"Bloody Hell" she thought, turning around. "Bloody Hell!" she said again, out loud this time. "He's coming!"

"Miss Granger! Sleep well?" Warwick asked as she took a piece of toast and molded it into a ball in her hand under the table.

"Perfectly. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason. I just wanted to thank you for the research you helped me with last night. I'm sure it will be most beneficial. And I just wanted to remind youthat this is top secret information, so it would be wise to keep it to yourself."

"Yessir" Hermione began before Harry interrupted.

"Oh! Look at the time! I have to get going if I'm going to get my cousin on time!"

"Thank you" Hermione mouthed at him.

"Yes!" Ron added, catching on. "We need to go too, Mione. You said you wanted to get Dudley something from Honey Dukes before he got here, right? We should get going if you want to get that done."

"Yes, right. Good morning, Professor" Hermione said, striding quickly after the room after Harry.

"That was officially creepy" Ginny said with a shudder as they stood in the Entrance Hall.

"That bloody bastard knew what his so called 'research' would do to you!" Ron snarled, suddenly trying to reenter the Great Hall.

"Ronald! No!" Hermione whimpered. "Not to a teacher!"

"Please, Mione?"

"No!"

"Where's Malfoy when you need him?" Ron mumbled under his breath to Harry.

"Ron" Hermione warned "let it go. Let me grab my coat from the common room, and then we can head to Hogsemede, okay? I need some fun."

Ten minutes later, the foursome was trooping across the bridge that led to the village.

"So, shall we all meet at the three broomsticks in, say, an hour and a half?" Harry asked as the first houses of Hogsmede appeared before them in the distance.

"That sounds good. I'm going to run to Zonko's- George wants me to see if it would be worth trying to buy it. The owner's starting to get on in his years" Ginny said. "And then I have some other errands I have to run."

"Okay, well Mione and I will meet you both in an hour and a half."

"Okay, see you then" Harry replied.

Ginny managed to call out "Good luck!" before he turned on the spot and vanished.

"Well, I'm off. Behave yourselves" Ginny said, strolling away from Ron and Hermione.

"Alone at last" Ron casually said as he looped an arm around her waist. "What do you want to do? You don't want to get anything for Dudley, do you?"

"No- we can bring him to the shops later- why? What did you have in mind?"

"What would you say to a visit to the Shrieking Shack? Remember sitting outside of it third year- the time Harry snuck into Hogsmede and almost got caught?"

"How could I forget" Hermione smiled. "Let's go, Weasley."

"After you, Granger."

Hand in hand, they walked through the still fairly empty streets of Hogsmede, until they came to the end of the main road. They took a right, and were soon standing in front of the dilapidated building that was their destination.

"Wanna get closer?" Ron teased.

"Question about that. Did you mean to you, or to the building when you asked me that in third year?"

"A little bit of both, I think. I don't really remember."

"Because if you would have clarified, I would have done it."

"Really? Blimey, I should have clarified."

"Well, what did you mean it as just now?"

"A little bit of both."

"Well then…" she took a step towards the Shrieking Shack, and several steps towards him.

She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped and whirled around at the sound of approaching footsteps.

Malfoy came strolling up the path, clutching the hand of someone Hermione vaguely recognized as a Slytherin a few years younger than her.

"Let's go" she said quickly, as she saw the blood rush to Ron's head as a sign of recognition. She tightened her grip on his hand and pulled him towards the main street of Hogsmede.

"Not a word" she muttered to him. "Just shut it or so help me God…"

"Hey Granger! Weaslbee! Where's scarface? Off ruining more lives? Off kissing up to more officials?"

"How dare you!" Hermione asked, turning around to face Draco. "How dare you! He saved your life! He kept you from spending the rest of your miserable life rotting in Azkaban!"

"What do you mean?"

"He wrote a letter to the ministry saying that you had been forced into all of the Death Eater crap! He used his influence to help you!"

"Oh…"

"Do you even appreciate what he did for you, even before the letter? He saved your life twice during the battle! Yes, you thanked him for it, but did you really, truly appreciate it? No! You go right on strutting around like you own the place calling good, caring people whatever you want to! Including my boyfriend! I don't know why I'm yelling at you right now, because honestly, you aren't worth my time. Let's go, Ron."

"Remind me not to get you angry. You get scary" Ron said as he walked off with her.

"That felt good" Hermione admitted a few minutes later, as they walked up the now crowded streets of Hogsmede.

"That was bloody brilliant!"

"What was brilliant?" Ginny asked behind them.

"Hermione lost it on Malfoy."

"What?" cried Ginny in amazement. "Really?"

"Yep" Hermione admitted.

"Wait- you told him that Harry had sent the ministry a letter- when did he do that?"

"He didn't. I made it up. It was something that would make sense, so I figured it might get Draco thinking about at least using our proper names. Although, I must say, he is improving- he didn't call me a Mudblood…"

"Don't call yourself that!" Ron interjected.

"Fine. But what he calls you and Harry- that needs to change. I'm tired of every name that he has for you two being a slur."

"I am too, Mione, but just leave it. He'll mature out of it someday."

"Maybe by the time he's middle aged" Ginny suggested drily. Then she looked at her watch.

"We should probably get going. Harry and his cousin are going to be here in ten minutes."

They walked into the Three Broomsticks, and snagged a table close to the back of the room, away from prying eyes.

"I'll get everyone drinks, yes?" Ron asked enthusiastically.

Hermione rolled her eyes and said "Don't take too long in telling Madame Rosemarta 'hello' for all of us."

"I won't… Hey!"

Hermione laughed. "Just go get some butterbeers, Ron."

"Got it" he said, strolling off towards the bar.

Ginny and Hermione watched his retreating figure.

"How long do you think this is going to take?" Ginny sighed. "Because I'm thirsty. I wonder if it would be faster just to go up and order my own drink."

"Have patience- if he's not back in a couple of minutes, we can go on a reconnaissance mission."

But Ron appeared with three butterbeers a few minutes later.

"What? Rosemarta not in today?"

"No, she was there. Its just that I would rather spend my time looking at Hermione's beautiful face."

"Aww!" Ginny said, miming shock and surprise. "That's so cute Ron! So cute, I don't know whether to smile or to run into the loo and loose my breakfast."

"Haha"

"Well, I thought it was sweet" Hermione defended.

"Thank you" Ron replied.

Ginny rolled her eyes and groaned.

"What? I'm not allowed to tell my girlfriend that she's beautiful?"

"Harry!" Ginny called out, waving eagerly at him and the bulky figure next to him in the pub's doorway.